1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to making and using an assembly for decorating pastries and, more particularly, to edible decorative overlays transferrable to cakes and like foodstuffs for decorating the same.
2. Description of Related Art
It is already known, for example, from U.K. Patent No. 422,430, to make an edible decoration for ornamenting cakes and such foodstuffs as puddings, eggs, chocolates, sweets and biscuits, from a moldable, marshmallow-based mass which has been rolled out under pressure to form a sheet-like overlay. The overlay can be laid directly over a cake and, when imprinted with a suitable design, decorates the cake.
Experience has shown, however, that such known marshmallow-based edible overlays dry hard, become brittle and crack with age and during use, thereby making them unsuitable as a cake-top decoration. It is not uncommon for such overlays to be stored for many months on supermarket shelves or in one's home prior to use. Also, transport and handling of such overlays, particularly in large quantities, accelerates their cracking and unusability due to shock forces normally encountered during such transport and handling.
To resist such cracking of the overlay during transport and use, the prior art has proposed placing the overlay on an edible paper sheet such as rice paper or wafer paper, or between two such edible paper sheets. The resulting composite is then placed directly onto the top of the cake. However, many people do not want to eat rice paper or wafer paper as part of a cake, no matter how pretty the decorative overlay appears.
Still another proposal, according to the prior art, is to place the overlay on a discardable foam tray. The tray protects the overlay from those forces normally encountered during transport, and the overlay is thereupon removed from the tray just prior to use.
However, experience has shown that a marshmallow-based overlay is very sticky and adheres strongly to the tray. It is difficult to remove the overlay from the tray without cracking and otherwise damaging the overlay in the process. Attempts have been made to use vegetable oil between the tray and the overlay to promote removal of the overlay from the tray. However, aside from being messy and possibly compromising the flavor of the overlay, the use of vegetable oil must be controlled. Using too much vegetable oil causes the overlay not to stick to the tray, thereby causing the overlay to shift relative to the tray during manufacture as well as during transport. Using too little vegetable oil causes the overlay to aggressively stick to the tray, thereby preventing a user from easily removing the overlay from the tray. In either event, the overlay tends to be damaged and makes for an unsuitable cake-top decoration.